Process for sterilizing and preserving cotton-seed.



' prohibitive of the shipment of the seed in UNITED srn rus PATENT OFFICE EDWARD R. marrow, or MEMPHIS, rammssnn, assrenoa T0 Banaow corronsnnn ransnavna COMPANY, or mnnrnis, mnrmnssnn, A CORPORATION or TENNESSEE.

- rnecnss non s'rnRiLrzrne-Aun rnnsnnvme common-sum).

No Drawing.

To all whomv it may concern Barrow, a citizen of the United StatesQresiding-at Memphis, in the county of Shelby, and Stateof'Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pru esses for Sterilizing and Preserving Cotton- Seed; and I do hereby declare the follow ng to be a full, clear,,and exact description of the invention, such .as ,will enablenothers skilled in the art' to which it appertainsto make and use the same;

My invention relates to an improved method of treatingcotton seed inorder to prevent the same from deterioratlom due to 'the organic changes incident to heating, o

sprouting, or both.

It is well known that the cotton seed varies largely from year to year in the quantity of water contained thereln, and when it contains excessive moisture, andQn this condition if it is subjected to external heat, or develops heat from germination, it tends to sprout, causing organic changes 1n the kernel which largely impair the value of the cotton seed, both as an oil producer and as an edible product. This tendency ofthe" seed to heat up and sprout renders it necessary to work up the seed as promptly as practicable in the oil mills, and is largely bulk in sea-going vessels, where the temperature is always more or less high in the cargo space of the vessel.

'1 have found that, by treating cotton seed with the hulls on, with ordinary sodium chlorid, the germinating power of the seed is destroyed, and the seed is maintained for long periods in a sound and unimpaired condition as far as the subsequent manufacture of the seed into cottonseed oil and food. products is concerned, but, of course, the seed is sterilized. v

The seed may be temporarily either immersed in the saline solution and then withdrawn therefrom and allowed to remain either in the wet condition, or dry, as preferred; or the salt may be applied in the pulverized dry form, being sprinkled thor oughly through the seed. The moisture of the seed and the air will tend to thoroughly impregnate the hulls of the seed with an aqueous saline solution, and this saline solu- Specification of Letters Patent.

7 through the hull tion penetr'atingfthrough the hulls will de- Be it known that I, EDWARD Ronnnrso t of salt and 95% to 80% ofwater, but I do claims to any articu-- lar strength of solution, as this ihay be" not mean to limit my varied at will according to the nature of the seed, and length of time the seed is to be preserved, and other conditions which may I also find that mixing 5% of the pulverized salt w1th 95% of the cotton seed" arise.

gives excellent results, but the relative proport ons. of the salt and cotton seed mavbe varied atwlll, i Y

The minute quantity of salt that passes of the cotton seed meal after the oil has been extracted, but, on the contrary, it would render the cotton seed meal more palatable as a stock food; While the salt would not in any Way affect the chemical nature of the cotton seed oil, and could be readily Washed out. It may be removed if desired, but as a matter of fact salt is often added to cotton seed 011 to lmprove the flavor, and the amount of salt absorbed in my process would not be sufiicient to injure the palatability of the oil.

The amount of salt would also be so small as not to materially impair the use of the cotton seed meal as a fertilizer.

One advantage of the herein described process of treating the cotton seed is that the salt and moisture causes the hull of the seed to swell and draw away from the kernel, so that when the seed is dry the hull becomes a loose envelop on the kernel, like the dry pod of a pea, and may be much more easily separated from the kernel than in the practice now in use, where the kernel comes from the hulls as the seed comes from the field without any preliminary treatment.

ihe seed need onlybe treated with the saline solution, or with the salt, long enough to be sterilized, and then it may be removed and dried; or, if desired, the seed mixed with the powdered salt may be stored away for an indefinite period.

By the herein described process the seed is placed in such a condition that it will keep indefinitely, and the operation of milling the Patented Dec. 1, 1914. Application meamv'e tr' is, 1913. Serial No. 801,718.

and permeates the kernel vwill not be sufiicient to impair the edibility same mny be carried on throughout m series of months, or throughout the entire 'yengir desired; wheress under present conditions the seed must be hurried to the mill and promptly milled, as the milling season lasts only about four months, due to the probable deterioration of the seed if it be he t-longera It will be obvious thetthe seed may be treated with salt at the gin after. the staple cotton has been removed therefrom, end either before or after the seed has been de linted. The seed may be retained at the gin cfter'such treatment with sztlt, or may be stored in any convenient warehouse at the mill, or elsewhere.

Having thus described my invention whet T claim and desire to secure by Letters Petent of the United States is 1. The herein described process or" treeting cotton seed to sterilize and preserve the same; which consists in treating the same with small quantities of sodium chlorid and subsequently drying the seed, substantially as described.

2. The herein described process of treating cotton seed to sterilize and preserve the same, which consists in treating some with streets ehont t% by weight of sodium chlorid and subsequently drying the seed, substantially as described.

3. The process of treating cotton seed to sterilize and preserve the same, which consists in mixing finely divided chlorid of sodium with the cotton seed having the hulls on, substantially as described.

t; The process of treating cotton-seed to sterilize and preserve the same, which consists in mixing about 5% by weight of finely divided chlorid of sodium with the cotton seed having thehulls on, substsntinlly as described.-

""5.Theprocess of sterilizing and preserving cotton seed; which consists in treating the same in'its natural condition, after the lint has been removed, with small quantities of chlorid of sodium, and subsequently evaporating oil the excess of moisture, substantially as described.

Tntestimony whereof, llrefix my signsture, in presence oftwo witnesses.

- EDWARD R. BARROW. Witnesses;

Emrnsr wmmitson, R. M; PARKER.

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